303: Chapter 303 The Hero, the Token

After Qin Jianshen left, that fierce killing intent dissipated along with him, but the atmosphere inside the cabin remained oppressive.

Chen Ran walked slowly to the counter and reached out to pull out the dagger stuck in the wooden board.

Upon taking the dagger in hand, it was entirely dark blue, with the blade emitting a faint cold light of extraordinary quality.

He picked up the dagger, his gaze falling below.

Pressed beneath the dagger was a token.

That token was the size of a palm, pitch-black throughout, with an archaic material that seemed neither like gold nor jade. Its surface was carved with intricate patterns, faintly revealing the traces of time.

Chen Ran picked up the token and turned it over to take a look.

Engraved on the front was the number eleven.

On the back was a ferocious ghost-face pattern, its features blurred.

"Ancient relic?"

Chen Ran raised his brows slightly.

He could sense that the material of this token was extraordinary, and it contained a certain special power.

He had once heard in ancient texts that some Artifact Refining Great Masters could engrave Formations into corresponding molds to create even stronger effects.

The moment he picked up the token, a strange resonance suddenly came from it.

That aura was faint and indistinct, as if guiding something.

A faint dark light flashed in Chen Ran's eyes. He closed his eyes to sense for a moment, then opened them, casting his gaze toward a certain direction outside the cabin.

Not far from him, about half a li away on the river surface, an aura was faintly visible.

That aura was moving away.

"Qin Jianshen... This is his aura."

Chen Ran murmured to himself.

Through the token, he could clearly sense the location and strength of that aura, and even vaguely perceive the other party's condition.

"Could it be some kind of communication token?"

Chen Ran played with the token in his hand, a bit of interest rising in his heart.

This token was clearly not an ordinary item.

To be able to let Qin Jianshen leave it behind so cautiously and deliberately warn him, there must be an extraordinary origin behind this.

"Is Shen Jixuan ranked 11th?"

A profound look flashed through Chen Ran's eyes.

If there was still an organization behind Qin Jianshen, and Shen Jixuan could only rank 11th, then just what kind of terrifying existences were those people ahead of him?

The top ten of the Heaven Rankings?

Or perhaps, an even more terrifying existence?

Chen Ran pondered for a moment, then tucked both the token and the dagger into his robes.

Since Qin Jianshen took the initiative to leave this token behind, it was mostly likely useful.

As for what was truly hidden behind this, it would naturally surface slowly in due time.

...

Chen Ran turned around, his gaze sweeping across everyone in the ship's hall.

The ship's hall was dead silent.

Numerous guests shrank into the corners with terrified expressions, not even daring to let out a loud breath, afraid of provoking the mysterious Innate expert before them.

Although the battle just now was brief, the might displayed within it made everyone present feel their hearts leap in fright.

The person before their eyes was definitely not an existence they could afford to provoke.

The men in black from the Red Lotus Demonic Cult also put away their weapons one after another, their expressions shifting uncertainly.

Zhao Chi stood within the crowd, his eyes behind the mask locked onto Chen Ran, filled with deep apprehension and vigilance.

The young man just now had fought evenly against the tenth expert of the Heaven Rankings, and even faintly had the upper hand.

This kind of strength already exceeded his estimations.

Moreover, Qin Jianshen still owed this person a favor...

He took a deep breath and slowly spoke:

"Your Excellency is immensely powerful, and this one admires you."

"Since the people of the Zhou Family have already been taken away by Qin Jianshen, it is inconvenient for us to stay long. Farewell."

Having said that, he turned around with the men in black behind him, preparing to leave.

Seeing that even the Red Lotus Demonic Cult feared the other party, the atmosphere in the ship's hall eased slightly.

The many guests breathed sighs of relief one after another, but still dared not speak loudly, only whispering amongst themselves.

"We are finally safe..."

"If those people from the Demonic Cult had made a move, I am afraid we would have lost our lives here tonight."

"Thanks to that hero for making a move, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Someone in the crowd sighed softly, their eyes filled with the joy of surviving a catastrophe.

The Disciples of Ciyin Medical Valley also gathered together with pale faces, evidently having yet to recover from the thrill just moments ago.

Liu Qing took a deep breath, stepped forward, and bowed deeply toward Chen Ran:

"Many thanks, Senior, for stepping in to save us. Everyone in Ciyin Medical Valley is endlessly grateful."

The Disciples behind her also bowed in salute and said in unison:

"Many thanks, Senior!"

Chen Ran glanced over everyone, his expression calm.

Just when everyone thought this hero would show some modesty with a few words, Chen Ran suddenly spoke:

"Wait, who said I saved you?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the ship's hall instantly quieted down.

The crowd froze, lifting their heads to look at him one after another.

The corners of Chen Ran's lips curled up slightly, and he said slowly:

"I have hijacked this ship."

...

(Today's single chapter, my head hurts a bit, I am sorting out my thoughts.)